What Are the Functions of the Sympathetic Nervous System and the Parasympathetic

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The Answer is The answer should include the following information: The involuntary functions regulated by the autonomic nervous system are controlled by two different branches of the system: the sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous systems. These systems offer opposing control of many of the same organs in your body. In general, the sympathetic nervous system arouses the body to expend energy (for "fight or flight") while the parasympathetic nervous system is involved in energy conservation. The sympathetic nervous system represents the body's emergency system that allows rapid activation of bodily systems in response to emergencies or threats in the environment. This system stimulates rapid heart rate, breathing, and bronchial dilation in the lungs; digestion and salivation are slowed or stopped, the pupils dilate and oxygen to the muscles and brain increases. On the other hand, the parasympathetic nervous system conserves bodily resources allowing one to "rest and digest." It calms the nervous system down following some type of emergency. The system causes declines in heart rate, breathing, and blood pressure, pupils constrict back to a more normal size, salivation, and digestion begin to increase.

What Are the Functions of the Sympathetic Nervous System and the Parasympathetic

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